Gaming Device Docking Station for Authorized Game Play

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a system to authorize a mobile electronic device to play games of chance includes a gaming system manager and a docking station. The docking station can be configured to: (i) detect whether the mobile electronic device is connected to a receiver of the docking station; (ii) receive device information from the mobile electronic device if it is detected that the mobile electronic device is connected to the receiver; (iii) determine whether a game of chance can be played on the mobile electronic device based on the received device information; (iv) authorize the mobile electronic device to play the game of chance; and (v) transmit gaming data to the mobile electronic device if it is determined that the game of chance can be played on the mobile electronic device and if the mobile electronic device is authorized.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/993,154, filed Aug. 13, 2020, andentitled “Gaming Device Docking Station for Authorized Game Play” whichis a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/798,363, filed Oct.30, 2017, which application issued on Aug. 25, 2020 as U.S. Pat. No.10,755,523, and entitled “Gaming Device Docking Station for AuthorizedGame Play,” which in turn is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/270,333, filed Sep. 20, 2016, which application issued on Nov. 7,2017 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,811,973, and entitled “Gaming Device DockingStation for Authorized Game Play,” which in turn is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 13/833,953, filed Mar. 15, 2013, whichapplication issued on Nov. 1, 2016 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,483,901, andentitled “Gaming Device Docking Station,” all of which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entireties for all purposes.

This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 13/833,116,filed Mar. 15, 2013, and entitled “Portable Intermediary TrustedDevice,” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

It is often the case that people go with friends to gamingestablishments for the purpose of being social and enjoying playinggames of chance in one another's company. However, more than likely, atleast one person in the group will disagree in which activities toengage in. In gaming establishments, one person may want to play videopoker while another would want to play a game of craps. Several otherpeople in the group may even want to play different slot machines. Thiscan be particularly troublesome when the purpose of the excursion is tobe social, yet the people separate in order to engage in theirrespective preferred activities.

There may be times when at least one person in the group is disappointedwith the activity in which the group is engaged in, and it is likelythat significant compromises must be made in order to accommodate allmembers of a group. This can lead to people spending less money in agaming establishment by reducing the desire to engage in the currentactivity for at least one person in the group and/or by quickly taxingthe overall patience of the group which would otherwise be willing toengage in gaming activities for longer periods of time. It may bepreferable to allow at least one or more of the group members to playtheir preferred game of chance on a mobile or portable gaming device inorder to prevent such issues.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to docking stations, such as dockingstations configured for use in gaming establishments. The dockingstations can be configured to create trusted mobile electronic deviceswhich can be used to play games of chance in gaming establishments.

In one embodiment, a docking station configured to authorize a mobileelectronic device to play games of chance may have a receiver configuredto receive the mobile electronic device, and a processor configured to:(i) detect whether the mobile electronic device has been received by thereceiver; (ii) receive device information from the mobile electronicdevice if it is detected that the mobile electronic device is receivedby the receiver; (iii) determine whether the games of chance can beplayed on the mobile electronic device based on the received deviceinformation; (iv) authorize the mobile electronic device to play thegames of chance; and (v) transmit gaming data to the mobile electronicdevice if it is determined that the games of chance can be played on themobile electronic device and if the mobile electronic device isauthorized.

In one embodiment, a method for authorizing a mobile electronic deviceto play games of chance using a docking station may include detectingthat the mobile electronic device is coupled to the portable dockingstation, receiving device information from the mobile electronic deviceafter it is detected that the mobile electronic device has been coupledto the portable docking station, determining whether the games of chancecan be played on the mobile electronic device based on the receiveddevice information, authorizing the mobile electronic device for playingthe games of chance, and transmitting gaming data to the mobileelectronic device if it is determined that the games of chance can beplayed on the mobile electronic device and if the mobile electronicdevice is authorized.

In another embodiment, a method for converting a mobile electronicdevice to a trusted mobile electronic device using a portable dockingstation may include detecting that the mobile electronic device iscoupled to the portable docking station, receiving device informationfrom the mobile electronic device after it is detected that the mobileelectronic device has been coupled to the portable docking station,determining whether games of chance can be played on the mobileelectronic device based on the received device information, authorizinga user to play the games of chance on the mobile electronic device,converting the mobile electronic device to the trusted mobile electronicdevice if the user is authorized to play the games of chance on themobile electronic device, and transmitting gaming data to the trustedmobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is converted toa trusted mobile electronic device.

In one embodiment, a system to authorize a mobile electronic device toplay games of chance may include a gaming system manager and a portabledocking station configured to communicate with the gaming system managerand the mobile electronic device, the portable docking station furtherconfigured to: (i) detect whether the mobile electronic device isconnected to a receiver of the portable docking station; (ii) receivedevice information from the mobile electronic device if it is detectedthat the mobile electronic device is connected to the receiver; (iii)determine whether the games of chance can be played on the mobileelectronic device based on the received device information; (iv)authorize the mobile electronic device to play the games of chance; and(v) transmit gaming data to the mobile electronic device if it isdetermined that the games of chance can be played on the mobileelectronic device and if the mobile electronic device is authorized,wherein once the mobile electronic device is authorized to play thegames of chance, the mobile electronic device is deemed a trusted gamingdevice for use within the gaming system manager of a gamingestablishment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate one or more example embodimentsand, together with the description of example embodiments, serve toexplain the principles and implementations.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example system to authorize aportable electronic device to play games of chance.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for authorizing amobile electronic device to play games of chance using a dockingstation.

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate flowcharts of an example method for converting amobile electronic device to a trusted mobile electronic device using adocking station.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for authorizing amobile electronic device using a docking station.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example docking station.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example docking station.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate an example authorization of a mobile electronicdevice to play a game of chance.

FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate an example use of a docking station.

FIGS. 9A-9B illustrate another example use of a document station.

FIGS. 10A-10B illustrate still another example use of a docking station.

FIGS. 11A-11D Illustrate yet another example use of the docking station.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments are described herein in the context of a gaming devicedocking station. The following detailed description is illustrative onlyand is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other embodiments willreadily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit ofthis disclosure. Reference will now be made in detail to implementationsas illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same referenceindicators will be used throughout the drawings and the followingdetailed description to refer to the same or like parts.

In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of theimplementations described herein are shown and described. It will, ofcourse, be appreciated that in the development of any such actualimplementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be madein order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliancewith application- and business-related constraints, and that thesespecific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from onedeveloper to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such adevelopment effort might be complex and time-consuming, but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those ofordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

The components, process steps, and/or data structures may be implementedusing various types of operating systems, computing platforms, computerprograms, and/or general purpose machines may be used to carry out theinvention. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that devices of a less general purpose nature, such ashardwired devices, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs), or the like, may also be usedwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the inventive conceptsdisclosed herein.

The gaming device docking station, or other hardware and/or softwarestored in a machine-readable medium (e.g., a tangible storage medium),can perform associated methods or processes. These and other featureswill be presented in more detail in the following the description of theinvention and the associated figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example system to authorize aportable electronic device to play games of chance. The system 100 mayhave a gaming server 102, a gaming system manager 104, a network 106, aplurality of docking stations 108 a-n (where n is an integer), and aplurality of mobile or portable electronic devices 110 a-n.

Mobile electronic devices 110 a-n may be any portable electronic devicesuch as mobile telephones, tablet computers, laptop computers, handheldgaming devices, media players, or any other mobile electronic devicehaving the capability to play a game of chance.

The docking station 108 a-n may be configured to receive and/or detectwhether the mobile electronic device 110 a-n is connected to the dockingstation 108 a-n. In one embodiment, the docking station 108 a-n may havea receiver configured to physically receive the mobile electronic device110 a-n. In another embodiment, the mobile electronic device may bedetected by the docking station via any wired or wireless means. Forexample, an external connector or dongle may be used to connect orcouple the docking stations 108 a-n and the mobile electronic device 110a-n. In another example, the mobile electronic device 110 a-n may bedetected by the docking station 108 a-n via any known wireless methodsor device such as a 3G wireless technology, 4G wireless technology,Bluetooth, Wireless USB, Near-field magnetic, Fire Wire, WiMax, IEEE802.11x technology, radio frequency, and the like. Detection of themobile electronic device 110 a-n may be initiated by a graphical userinterface on the docking station 8 a-n or the mobile electronic device110 a-n.

Once the mobile electronic device 110 a-n is detected by the dockingstation 108 a-n, mobile device information may be transmitted from themobile electronic device 110 a-n to the docking station 108 a-n. Mobiledevice information may be any information necessary to determine whetherthe mobile device has the capability to play games of chance,authenticate the mobile electronic device 110 a-n, validate orauthenticate the user of the mobile electronic device 110 a-n, or anyother desired information may be transmitted to the docking station 108a-n. For example, mobile device information may include the mobileelectronic device 110 a-n capabilities such as power capacity, displayresolution, memory capacity, processor capacity, disk space, softwareversions, and the like. Mobile device information may also includeidentification information such as model information, user information,user preferences, game history, bookmarks for specific games of chance,favorite websites and/or games of chance, favorite meals, shows,buffets, and the like. The mobile device information may allow thegaming establishment to determine the user interests. Knowing the user'sinterests may allow the gaming establishment to transmit any marketing,promotions, coupons, and the like to the mobile electronic device. Forexample, if a user's interest is playing poker games on the mobileelectronic device, the user may be notified of a poker tournament at thegaming establishment. In another example, the user may show an interestin gourmet food. The gaming establishment may transmit, to the mobileelectronic device, a coupon for 50% off at their steak house.

The docking station 108 a-n may be configured to determine whether gamesof chance can be played on the mobile electronic device 110 a-n based onthe received mobile device information. For example, the docking station108 a-n may determine whether the mobile electronic device 110 a-n iscompatible with software residing of the docking station 108 a-n, thegaming system manager 104, or the gaming server 102 in order to play thegame of chance. The docking station 108 a-n may also be configured todetermine whether the mobile electronic device 110 a-n has enough memoryto play the games of chance.

In one embodiment, if the mobile electronic device 110 a-n is physicallyconnected to docking station 108 a-n either wired, by a connector, orreceived by the receiver of the docking station 108 a-n, docking station108 a-n may be configured to provide a charge to the mobile electronicdevice 110 a-n. In another embodiment, if the mobile electronic device110 a-n is physically connected to docking station 108 a-n wirelessly,the charge to the mobile electronic device 110 a-n may be transmittedvia electromagnetic induction or any other similar methods used toprovide charges wirelessly.

Docking station 108 a-n may be configured to authenticate the mobileelectronic device 110 a-n to play games of chance based upon thereceived mobile device information. In one embodiment, using a userinterface either on the docking station 108 a-n and/or on the mobileelectronic device 110 a-n, the user may be requested to enter ausername, password, account number, player tracking information, facialrecognition information, voice recognition information, or any otherdesired user information. In another embodiment, the desired userinformation necessary to authenticate the mobile electronic device 110a-n and/or user may be embedded in the mobile electronic device 110 a-nsuch that authentication may be completed automatically without any userinteraction.

To authenticate the mobile electronic device and the user, the receivedmobile device information may be compared to information stored on thegaming system manager 104. The docking station 108 a-n may be configuredto communicate with the gaming system manager 104 by any known meanssuch as wired or wirelessly. The gaming system manager 104 may have aplayer tracking server 103 having a player database 105 configured tostore all user information, player tracking information, and any otherdesired player information. If the received mobile electronicinformation matches the information stored in the player tracking server103, the docking station 108 a-n may authenticate the mobile electronicdevice 110 a-n such that the mobile electronic device 110 a-n thenbecomes a trusted gaming electronic device.

In one embodiment, the comparison of the received mobile deviceinformation and the information stored on the player tracking server 103may be conducted at the docking station 108 a-n. In this embodiment, thedocking station 108 a-n may be configured to receive the player trackinginformation from the gaming system manager 104. In another embodiment,the comparison of the received mobile device information and theinformation stored on the player tracking server 103 may be conducted bythe gaming system manager 104. In this embodiment, the docking station108 a-n may be configured to transmit the received mobile deviceinformation to the gaming system manager 104 for comparison. If theinformation match, the gaming system manager 104 may transmit anauthentication signal to the docking station 108 a-n. If the informationdoes not match, the gaming system manager 104 may transmit a rejectionsignal to the docking station 108 a-n.

Once authenticated, the docking station 108 a-n may receive a request toplay a game of chance from the mobile electronic device 110 a-n. If thedocking station 108 a-n determined that the mobile electronic device 110a-n is capable of playing games of chance, in one embodiment, thedocking station 108 a-n may transmit the request for the game of chanceto the gaming system manager 104. The requested game of chance data maybe obtained from the gaming server 102 and transmitted to the mobileelectronic device 110 a-n. In another embodiment, the docking station108 a-n may determine whether the requested game of chance is stored onthe docking station 108 a-n. If the docking station 108 a-n determinedthat the requested game of chance is stored on the docking station 108a-n, the docking station 108 a-n may transmit the requested game ofchance data to the mobile electronic device 110 a-n.

The game of chance data may be downloaded and stored on the mobileelectronic device 110 a-n. In another embodiment, the game of chancedata may be streamed to the mobile electronic device 110 a-n, eitherfrom the docking station 108 a-n or the gaming system manager 104. Inthis embodiment, user input used to play the game of chance may betransmitted to the docking station 108 a-n or the gaming system manager104. User input may be received from the mobile electronic device 110a-n and/or the docking station 108 a-n.

As the game of chance is played, game session data may periodicallytransmitted to the docking station 108 a-n. Game session data may betransmitted at any desired time. For example, game session data may betransmitted every thirty seconds, every minute, every fifteen minutes,every hour, or at designated time intervals such as between 1 pm-3 pm,and the like. In one embodiment, game session data may be stored at thedocking station 108 a-n. In another embodiment, the game session datamay be received by the docking station 108 a-n and transmitted to thegaming system manager 104. In still another embodiment, the game sessiondata may be directly received by the gaming system manager 104 from themobile electronic device 110 a-n. Game session data may include any dataproduced during the game play such as game state data, game historydata, account data, coins in and out, credits obtained or used, bonusesreceived, and any other game data. Game session data may be used in caseof a power failure by the docking station or mobile electronic device,malfunction of the docking station or mobile electronic device, or anyother reasons. The game session data may be used recreate the gamingsessions to determine if the player won or lost, the amount of creditsremaining, if the player was cheating, or any other game sessioninformation.

Since a player may want to move about the gaming establishment (e.g. tosee a show, eat dinner, watch their friends play at a table game orother gaming machine, etc.) the mobile electronic device 110 a-n may beautomatically authenticated or received at another docking station 108a-n located near the player. For example, if the player was originallyauthenticated by a docking station 108 a-n located at the bar and is noweating dinner at the buffet, the mobile electronic device 110 a-n may beautomatically authenticated by a docking station located nearest thebuffet. Thus, once a mobile electronic device 110 a-n has beenauthenticated by one docking station 108 a-n, the mobile electronicdevice 110 a-n is now deemed a trusted gaming device and may beautomatically authenticated when connecting to another docking station108 a-n within the gaming establishment.

The mobile electronic device 110 a-n may be configured to communicatewith the second docking station 108 a-n similar to how it was configuredto communicate with the original docking station 108 a-n (i.e.wirelessly, wired, physically received in a receiver, and/or use of anexternal connector). The second docking station 108 a-n may also beconfigured to receive mobile device information from the mobileelectronic device 110 a-n, transmit the received mobile deviceinformation to the gaming system manager 104, transmit and receivegaming session data, and any other desired operations. The seconddocking station 108 a-n and/or gaming system manager 104 may determinewhether the mobile electronic device 110 a-n was previously connected toanother portable docking station 108 a-n within the gaming establishmentbased upon the received mobile device information.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for authorizing amobile electronic device to play games of chance using a dockingstation. A mobile electronic device must be authorized, authenticated,and/or validated by a docking station prior to becoming a trusted devicethat may be used to play games of chance. Mobile electronic devices maybe any portable electronic device such as mobile telephones, tabletcomputers, laptop computers, handheld gaming devices, media players, orany other mobile electronic device having the capability to play a gameof chance.

Method 200 starts with detecting a mobile electronic device at 202. Thedocking station (e.g. docking station 108 a-n illustrated in FIG. 1 )may be configured to receive and/or detect whether the mobile electronicdevice is connected to the docking station. In one embodiment, thedocking station may have a receiver configured to physically receive themobile electronic device. In another embodiment, the mobile electronicdevice may be detected by the docking station via any wired or wirelessmeans. For example, an external connector or dongle may be used toconnect or couple the docking stations and the mobile electronic device.In another example, the mobile electronic device may be detected by thedocking station via any known wireless methods or device such as a 3Gwireless technology, 4G wireless technology, Bluetooth, Wireless USB,Near-field magnetic, Fire Wire, WiMax, IEEE 802.11x technology, radiofrequency, and the like. Detection of the mobile electronic device maybe initiated by a graphical user interface on the docking station or themobile electronic device.

Device information may be obtained from the mobile electronic device at204. Mobile device information may be any information necessary todetermine whether the mobile device has the capability to play games ofchance, authenticate the mobile electronic device, validate orauthenticate the user of the mobile electronic device, or any otherdesired information may be transmitted to the docking station. Forexample, mobile device information may include the mobile electronicdevice capabilities such as power capacity, display resolution, memorycapacity, processor capacity, disk space, software versions, and thelike. Mobile device information may also include identificationinformation such as model information, user information, userpreferences, game history, bookmarks for specific games of chance,favorite websites and/or games of chance, favorite meals, shows,buffets, and the like. The mobile device information may allow thegaming establishment to determine the user interests. Knowing the user'sinterests may allow the gaming establishment to transmit any marketing,promotions, coupons, and the like to the mobile electronic device. Forexample, if a user's interest is playing poker games on the mobileelectronic device, the user may be notified of a poker tournament at thegaming establishment. In another example, the user may show an interestin gourmet food. The gaming establishment may transmit, to the mobileelectronic device, a coupon for 50% off at their steak house.

A determination of whether the mobile electronic device is acceptablemay be made at 206. In other words, a determination of whether games ofchance can be played on the mobile electronic device based on thereceived mobile device information. The docking station can determinewhether the mobile electronic device is acceptable in terms of itstechnical specifications to play games of chance based on the mobiledevice information provided by the mobile electronic device. Forexample, the docking station and/or gaming system manager (e.g. gamingsystem manager 104 illustrated in FIG. 1 ) may determine whether themobile electronic device is compatible with software residing of thedocking station, the gaming system manager, or the gaming server (e.g.gaming server 102 illustrated in FIG. 1 ) in order to play the game ofchance. The docking station may also be configured to determine whetherthe mobile electronic device has enough memory to play the games ofchance. In another example, a game of chance may require that a mobileelectronic device run a Macintosh operating system, have at least twogigabytes of memory, and have at least four hundred seventy kilobytes ofdrive space free. If the mobile electronic device cannot satisfy thoserequirements, the mobile electronic device may not be allowed to playgames of chance and thus, not be an acceptable mobile electronic device.

If the mobile electronic device is determined to be an acceptable deviceat 206 a determination of whether the mobile electronic device iscurrently authenticated may be made at 208. The mobile electronic devicemay have been previously authenticated by another docking station withinthe gaming establishment. Since a player may want to move about thegaming establishment (e.g. to see a show, eat dinner, watch theirfriends play at a table game or other gaming machine, etc.) the mobileelectronic device may be automatically authenticated or received at asecond docking station located near the player. For example, if theplayer was originally authenticated by a docking station located at thebar and is now eating dinner at the buffet, the mobile electronic devicemay be automatically authenticated by a docking station located nearestthe buffet. Thus, once a mobile electronic device has been authenticatedby one docking station, the mobile electronic device is now deemed atrusted gaming device and may be automatically authenticated whenconnecting to another docking station within the gaming establishment.

The mobile electronic device may be configured to communicate with thesecond docking station similar to how it was configured to communicatewith the original docking station (i.e. wirelessly, wired, physicallyreceived in a receiver, and/or use of an external connector). The seconddocking station may also be configured to receive mobile deviceinformation from the mobile electronic device, transmit the receivedmobile device information to the gaming system manager, transmit andreceive gaming session data, and any other desired operations. Thesecond docking station and/or gaming system manager may determinewhether the mobile electronic device was previously connected to anotherportable docking station within the gaming establishment based upon thereceived mobile device information.

If the mobile electronic device is determined to be currentlyauthenticated at 208, a gaming session may be created for the mobileelectronic device at 214 at the second docking station. If the mobileelectronic device is determined to not be currently authenticated at208, the mobile electronic device may be authenticated at 210.

Docking station may be configured to authenticate the mobile electronicdevice to play games of chance based upon the received mobile deviceinformation. In one embodiment, using a user interface either on thedocking station and/or on the mobile electronic device, the user may berequested to enter a username, password, account number, player trackinginformation, facial recognition information, voice recognitioninformation, or any other desired user information. In anotherembodiment, the desired user information necessary to authenticate themobile electronic device and/or user may be embedded in the mobileelectronic device such that authentication may be completedautomatically without any user interaction.

To authenticate the mobile electronic device and the user, the receivedmobile device information may be compared to information stored on thegaming system manager. The docking station may be configured tocommunicate with the gaming system manager by any known means such aswired or wirelessly. The gaming system manager may have a playertracking server (e.g. player tracking server 103 illustrated in FIG. 1 )having a player database configured to store all user information,player tracking information, and any other desired player information. Adetermination of whether the mobile electronic device is authenticatedmay be made at 211. If the received mobile electronic informationmatches the information stored in the player tracking server, thedocking station may authenticate the mobile electronic device at 211such that the mobile electronic device then becomes a trusted gamingelectronic device that may be used to play games of chance. If thereceived mobile electronic information does not match the informationstored in the player tracking server, the docking station may notauthenticate the mobile electronic device at 211 and the method 200 mayend.

In one embodiment, the comparison of the received mobile deviceinformation and the information stored on the player tracking server maybe conducted at the docking station. In this embodiment, the dockingstation may be configured to receive the player tracking informationfrom the gaming system manager. In another embodiment, the comparison ofthe received mobile device information and the information stored on theplayer tracking server may be conducted by the gaming system manager. Inthis embodiment, the docking station may be configured to transmit thereceived mobile device information to the gaming system manager forcomparison. A determination of whether the mobile electronic device isauthenticated may be made at 211. If the information matches, the gamingsystem manager may transmit an authentication signal to the dockingstation and the mobile electronic device may be authenticated at 211. Ifthe information does not match, the gaming system manager may transmit arejection signal to the docking station and the mobile electronic devicemay not be authenticated at 211 and the method 200 may end.

If the mobile electronic device is authenticated at 211, docking stationmay configure the mobile electronic device to play the games of chanceat 212. In one example, space in the memory of the mobile electronicdevice may be dedicated for use to play the game of chance. In anotherexample, secure software to prevent cheating, hacking, and/or to complywith any gaming regulations or laws may be required to be downloaded tothe mobile electronic device.

A gaming session may then be created for the mobile electronic device at214. For example, creating a gaming session may include creating aplayer tracking account, if no player traction account was created forthe user. In another example, creating a gaming session may includecreating an account for the mobile electronic device to save and storegame session data. The game session data stored in the gaming databasemay include game state data, game history data, account data, and thelike. Game state data may show a position in a game, game progress, acurrent account balance, active bets placed, pending game outcomes, andthe like. The game history data may include games of chance played,wagers made, past account balances, game progress, outcomes of games ofchance, and the like. Game session data may be used in case of a powerfailure by the docking station or mobile electronic device, malfunctionof the docking station or mobile electronic device, or any otherreasons. The game session data may be used recreate the gaming sessionsto determine if the player won or lost, the amount of credits remaining,if the player was cheating, or any other game session information.

In still another example, creating the gaming session may includetransmitting a list of the games of chance, establishing a link to aplayer tracking account, and any other desired actions to create agaming session. The list of games of chance may be customized based uponthe user interests, randomly provided, include a summary of each game ofchance, and any other information about each of the games of chance. Thelist of the games of chance may be presented on either the mobileelectronic device or the docking station.

Creating the gaming session may also allow the user to easily access andtransfer funds to play the game of chance and/or cash out the remainingfunds in the gaming session. For example, the gaming session may storethe amount of funds received and remaining for the gaming session.

In one embodiment, the funds stored in the gaming session may be used toplay the games of chance. In another embodiment, the funds stored in thegaming session may be used for non-gaming purposes, such as paying for ahotel stay, watch a movie, eat at the buffet, play bowling, and anyother purchases.

At least one game of chance may be selected at 216. Using the mobileelectronic device and/or the docking station, the player may select agame of chance to play. If selected using the mobile electronic device,a request for the selected game of chance may be received by the dockingstation at 217. If selected using the docking station, a request for theselected game of chance may be received by to the gaming system managerat 217.

The requested game of chance may be transmitted to the mobile electronicdevice at 218. The requested game of chance data may be obtained fromthe gaming server and transmitted to the mobile electronic device. Inanother embodiment, the docking station may determine whether therequested game of chance is stored on the docking station. If thedocking station determines that the requested game of chance is storedon the docking station, the docking station may transmit the requestedgame of chance data to the mobile electronic device.

The game of chance data may be downloaded and stored on the mobileelectronic device. In another embodiment, the game of chance data may bestreamed to the mobile electronic device, either from the dockingstation or the gaming system manager. In this embodiment, user inputused to play the game of chance may be transmitted to the dockingstation or the gaming system manager. User input may be received fromthe mobile electronic device and/or the docking station.

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate flowcharts of an example method for converting amobile electronic device to a trusted mobile electronic device using adocking station. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the method 300 may startwith detecting a mobile electronic device at 302. A mobile electronicdevice must be authorized, authenticated, and/or validated by a dockingstation in order to become a trusted device capable of being used toplay games of chance. Mobile electronic devices may be any portableelectronic device such as mobile telephones, tablet computers, laptopcomputers, handheld gaming devices, media players, or any other mobileelectronic device having the capability to play a game of chance.

Method 300 starts with detecting a mobile electronic device at 302. Thedocking station (e.g. docking station 108 a-n illustrated in FIG. 1 )may be configured to receive and/or detect whether the mobile electronicdevice is connected to the docking station. In one embodiment, thedocking station may have a receiver configured to physically receive themobile electronic device. In another embodiment, the mobile electronicdevice may be detected by the docking station via any wired or wirelessmeans. For example, an external connector or dongle may be used toconnect or couple the docking stations and the mobile electronic device.In another example, the mobile electronic device may be detected by thedocking station via any known wireless methods or device such as a 3Gwireless technology, 4G wireless technology, Bluetooth, Wireless USB,Near-field magnetic, Fire Wire, WiMax, IEEE 802.11x technology, radiofrequency, and the like. Detection of the mobile electronic device maybe initiated by a graphical user interface on the docking station or themobile electronic device.

Mobile device information may be obtained from the mobile electronicdevice at 304. Mobile device information may be any informationnecessary to determine whether the mobile device has the capability toplay games of chance, authenticate the mobile electronic device,validate or authenticate the user of the mobile electronic device, orany other desired information may be transmitted to the docking station.For example, mobile device information may include the mobile electronicdevice capabilities such as power capacity, display resolution, memorycapacity, processor capacity, disk space, software versions, and thelike. Mobile device information may also include identificationinformation such as model information, user information, userpreferences, game history, bookmarks for specific games of chance,favorite websites and/or games of chance, favorite meals, shows,buffets, and the like. The mobile device information may allow thegaming establishment to determine the user interests. Knowing the user'sinterests may allow the gaming establishment to transmit any marketing,promotions, coupons, and the like to the mobile electronic device. Forexample, if a user's interest is playing poker games on the mobileelectronic device, the user may be notified of a poker tournament at thegaming establishment. In another example, the user may show an interestin gourmet food. The gaming establishment may transmit, to the mobileelectronic device, a coupon for 50% off at their steak house.

A determination of whether the mobile electronic device is acceptablemay be made at 306. In other words, a determination of whether games ofchance can be played on the mobile electronic device based on thereceived mobile device information. The docking station can determinewhether the mobile electronic device is acceptable in terms of itstechnical specifications to play games of chance based on the mobiledevice information provided by the mobile electronic device. Forexample, the docking station and/or gaming system manager (e.g. gamingsystem manager 104 illustrated in FIG. 1 ) may determine whether themobile electronic device is compatible with software residing of thedocking station, the gaming system manager, or the gaming server (e.g.gaming server 102 illustrated in FIG. 1 ) in order to play the game ofchance. The docking station may also be configured to determine whetherthe mobile electronic device has enough memory to play the games ofchance. In another example, a game of chance may require that a mobileelectronic device run a Macintosh operating system, have at least twogigabytes of memory, and have at least four hundred seventy kilobytes ofdrive space free. If the mobile electronic device cannot satisfy thoserequirements, the mobile electronic device may not be allowed to playgames of chance and thus, not be an acceptable mobile electronic device.

If the mobile electronic device is determined to be an acceptable deviceat 306 a determination of whether the mobile electronic device iscurrently authenticated may be made at 308. The mobile electronic devicemay have been previously authenticated by another docking station withinthe gaming establishment. Since a player may want to move about thegaming establishment (e.g. to see a show, eat dinner, watch theirfriends play at a table game or other gaming machine, etc.) the mobileelectronic device may be automatically authenticated or received at asecond docking station located near the player. For example, if theplayer was originally authenticated by a docking station located at thebar and is now eating dinner at the buffet, the mobile electronic devicemay be automatically authenticated by a docking station located nearestthe buffet. Thus, once a mobile electronic device has been authenticatedby one docking station, the mobile electronic device is now deemed atrusted gaming device and may be automatically authenticated whenconnecting to another docking station within the gaming establishment.

The mobile electronic device may be configured to communicate with thesecond docking station similar to how it was configured to communicatewith the original docking station (i.e. wirelessly, wired, physicallyreceived in a receiver, and/or use of an external connector). The seconddocking station may also be configured to receive mobile deviceinformation from the mobile electronic device, transmit the receivedmobile device information to the gaming system manager, transmit andreceive gaming session data, and any other desired operations. Thesecond docking station and/or gaming system manager may determinewhether the mobile electronic device was previously connected to anotherportable docking station within the gaming establishment based upon thereceived mobile device information.

A determination of whether the mobile electronic device is authenticatedmay be made at 310. Docking station may be configured to authenticatethe mobile electronic device to play games of chance based upon thereceived mobile device information. In one embodiment, using a userinterface either on the docking station and/or on the mobile electronicdevice, the user may be requested to enter a username, password, accountnumber, player tracking information, facial recognition information,voice recognition information, or any other desired user information. Inanother embodiment, the desired user information necessary toauthenticate the mobile electronic device and/or user may be embedded inthe mobile electronic device such that authentication may be completedautomatically without any user interaction.

To authenticate the mobile electronic device and the user, the receivedmobile device information may be compared to information stored on thegaming system manager. The docking station may be configured tocommunicate with the gaming system manager by any known means such aswired or wirelessly. The gaming system manager may have a playertracking server (e.g. player tracking server 103 illustrated in FIG. 1 )having a player database configured to store all user information,player tracking information, and any other desired player information.If the received mobile electronic information matches the informationstored in the player tracking server, the docking station may determinethat the mobile electronic device is authenticated at 310. If thereceived mobile electronic information does not match the informationstored in the player tracking server, the mobile electronic device isnot authenticated at 310 and the method 300 may end.

In one embodiment, the comparison of the received mobile deviceinformation and the information stored on the player tracking server maybe conducted at the docking station. In this embodiment, the dockingstation may be configured to receive the player tracking informationfrom the gaming system manager. In another embodiment, the comparison ofthe received mobile device information and the information stored on theplayer tracking server may be conducted by the gaming system manager. Inthis embodiment, the docking station may be configured to transmit thereceived mobile device information to the gaming system manager forcomparison. If the information matches, the gaming system manager maytransmit an authentication signal to the docking station and adetermination of whether the mobile electronic device is a trusteddevice may be made at 312. If the information does not match, the gamingsystem manager may transmit a rejection signal to the docking stationand the method 300 may end.

In order to become a trusted device, the mobile electronic device mustbe authenticated and secured. Thus, if the mobile electronic device isdetermined to be authenticated at 310, a determination of whether themobile electronic device is trusted may be made at 312. To be configuredto play games of chance, the mobile electronic device must provide forsecurity features to prevent cheating, hacking, and/or to comply withany gaming regulations or laws. In one embodiment, the security featuresmay deny access to all programs or applications on the mobile electronicdevice except the programs or applications necessary to play the game ofchance. If the mobile electronic device contains the desired securityfeatures, the mobile electronic device may be considered a trusteddevice at 312.

If the desired security features are not located on the mobileelectronic device, the device is deemed to not be a trusted device at312. If not a trusted device at 312, the mobile electronic device may beconverted to a trusted mobile electronic device at 314. The dockingstation and/or the gaming system manager may determine what securesoftware and/or applications are necessary for the mobile electronicdevice to have to become a trusted device. The secure software may thenbe downloaded to the mobile electronic device. Once the secured softwareand/or applications are downloaded and saved to the mobile electronicdevice, the mobile electronic device may be converted to a trusteddevice at 314.

If the mobile electronic device is already trusted, the docking stationmay create a gaming session for the trusted mobile electronic device at316. For example, creating a gaming session may include creating aplayer tracking account, if the player did not have an existing playertracking account. In another example, creating a gaming session mayinclude creating an account for the mobile electronic device to save andstore game session data. The game session data stored in the gamingdatabase may include game state data, game history data, account data,and the like. Game session data may be used in case of a power failureby the docking station or mobile electronic device, malfunction of thedocking station or mobile electronic device, or any other reasons. Thegame session data may be used recreate the gaming sessions to determineif the player won or lost, the amount of credits remaining, if theplayer was cheating, or any other game session information.

Game state data may show a position in a game, game progress, a currentaccount balance, active bets placed, pending game outcomes, and thelike. The game history data may include games of chance played, wagersmade, past account balances, game progress, outcomes of games of chance,and the like. In still another example, creating the gaming session mayinclude transmitting a list of the games of chance that may be played onthe mobile electronic device, establishing a link to a player trackingaccount, and any other desired actions to create a gaming session. Thelist of games of chance may be customized based upon the user interests,randomly provided, include a summary of each game of chance, and anyother information about each of the games of chance. The list of thegames of chance may be presented on either the mobile electronic deviceor the docking station.

A request for a fund transfer may be received at 318 by the dockingstation. The fund transfer amount may include a fund amount, the amountrequested to be transferred and used to play the game of chance, and afund account. The fund account may be a bank, the gaming establishmentwhere the player has a player tracking account, or any other fundaccount or source from where the fund amount may be obtained. The fundamount may also be used for non-gaming purposes, such as purchasingdrinks, paying for a hotel stay, and the like. The fund amount may bemonetary or non-monetary, such as credits, player tracking points, andthe like.

In one embodiment, the docking station may transmit the fund transferrequest to the fund account. In another embodiment, the docking stationmay transmit the fund transfer request to the gaming management server.The gaming management server may then transmit the fund transfer requestto the fund account.

A determination of whether funds were transferred may be made at 320. Ifthe docking station receives the fund amount, the fund amount may besaved to a player account at 322. The player account may be the player'stracking account, the gaming session account, or any other playeraccount. If no fund amount was received at the docking station, themethod 300 may end. The docking station may not receive the fund amountfor various reasons such as an insufficient account balance, the playerleaves the gaming establishment prior to the transfer of funds, themobile electronic device is no longer a trusted device, the player usingthe mobile electronic device is underage, the mobile electronic deviceis incapable of playing games of chance, the request fund amount isprohibited by law, the player has already requested the maximum amountallowed by law, the mobile electronic device has a low battery charge,or any other reasons.

Having created the gaming session at 316, the user may easily access andtransfer funds to play the game of chance and/or cash out the remainingfunds in the gaming session. For example, the gaming session may storethe amount of funds received and remaining for the gaming session.

At least one game of chance selection may be detected at 324. A playermay select a game of chance to play on the mobile electronic deviceusing controls on the mobile electronic device and/or the dockingstation. If selected using the mobile electronic device, a request forthe selected game of chance may be transmitted at 217 to the dockingstation. If selected using the docking station, a request for theselected game of chance may be transmitted at 217 to the gaming systemmanager.

The requested game of chance may be transmitted to the mobile electronicdevice at 332. The requested game of chance data may be obtained fromthe gaming server and transmitted to the mobile electronic device. Inanother embodiment, the docking station may determine whether therequested game of chance is stored on the docking station. If thedocking station determines that the requested game of chance is storedon the docking station, the docking station may transmit the requestedgame of chance data to the mobile electronic device.

The game of chance data may be downloaded and stored on the mobileelectronic device. In another embodiment, the game of chance data may bestreamed to the mobile electronic device, either from the dockingstation or the gaming system manager. In this embodiment, user inputused to play the game of chance may be transmitted to the dockingstation or the gaming system manager. User input may be received fromthe mobile electronic device and/or the docking station.

Game session data may be transmitted at 334. Game session data mayinclude any data produced during the game play such as game state data,game history data, account data, coins in and out, credits obtained orused, bonuses received, and any other game data. Game session data maybe used in case of a power failure by the docking station or mobileelectronic device, malfunction of the docking station or mobileelectronic device, or any other reasons. The game session data may beused recreate the gaming sessions to determine if the player won orlost, the amount of credits remaining, if the player was cheating, orany other game session information. Game state data may show a positionin a game, game progress, a current account balance, active bets placed,pending game outcomes, and the like. The game history data may includegames of chance played, wagers made, past account balances, gameprogress, outcomes of games of chance, and the like. As the game ofchance is played, game session data may periodically transmitted to thedocking station. Game session data may be transmitted at any desiredtime. For example, game session data may be transmitted every thirtyseconds, every minute, every fifteen minutes, every hour, or atdesignated time intervals such as between 1 pm-3 pm, and the like. Inone embodiment, game session data may be stored at the docking station.In another embodiment, the game session data may be received by thedocking station and transmitted to the gaming system manager. In stillanother embodiment, the game session data may be directly received bythe gaming system manager from the mobile electronic device.

A determination of whether the gaming session should end may be made at336. The gaming session may end for a variety of reasons such as no morecredits to play the game of chance, insufficient account balance, theplayer leaves the vicinity in which the mobile electronic device istrusted, the mobile electronic device is no longer capable of playingthe game of chance, the mobile electronic device is in an area whereplaying games of chance is prohibited, the battery charge of the mobileelectronic device is low, or for any legal reasons.

If it is determined that the gaming session should end at 336, any gameof chance data stored on the mobile electronic device may be deleted at338. Any game session data as well as security software downloaded onthe mobile electronic device may also be deleted. If it is determinedthat the gaming session should not end at 336, game of chance data maycontinue to be provided to the mobile electronic device at 332.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for authorizing amobile electronic device using a docking station. The method 400 maybegin by connecting a mobile electronic device to a docking station at402. The mobile electronic device may be any device such as mobiletelephones, tablet computers, laptop computers, handheld gaming devices,media players, and the like. The connection to the docking station maybe via a wired, wireless, or a physical connection to the dockingstation. In one embodiment, a connector on a receiver of the dockingstation may be used to connect the mobile electronic device to thedocking station. The connector may be designed to receive the mobileelectronic device and configured to detect whether the mobile electronicdevice is physically connected to the docking station. The connector maybe designed or configured to allow the mobile electronic device tocommunicate with the docking station.

In another embodiment, an intermediary connector (e.g. intermediaryconnector 502 described in detail with reference to FIG. 5A) may be usedto connect the mobile electronic device to the receiver. Theintermediary connector may be a universal connector to allow all typesof mobile electronic devices to communicate with the docking station.The intermediary connector 502 may have a plurality of inputs configuredto receive the mobile electronic device or a wire connection to themobile electronic device. Each of the plurality of inputs may have adifferent configuration to receive different mobile electronic devices.The intermediary connector 502 may also have an external wire 512configured to be received by a mobile electronic device. This allowsconnection to the docking station 500 to be a wired connection.

In another embodiment, the docking station may have a wireless receiver(as illustrated in FIG. 6 ) to connect the mobile electronic device tothe docking station wirelessly. Any known wireless methods may be usedsuch as a 3G wireless technology, 4G wireless technology, Bluetooth,Wireless USB, Near-field magnetic, Fire Wire, WiMax, IEEE 802.11xtechnology, radio frequency, and the like.

Device information may be transmitted to the docking station at 404.Mobile device information may be any information necessary to determinewhether the mobile device has the capability to play games of chance,authenticate the mobile electronic device, validate or authenticate theuser of the mobile electronic device, or any other desired informationmay be transmitted to the docking station. For example, mobile deviceinformation may include the mobile electronic device capabilities suchas power capacity, display resolution, memory capacity, processorcapacity, disk space, software versions, and the like. Mobile deviceinformation may also include identification information such as modelinformation, user information, user preferences, game history, bookmarksfor specific games of chance, favorite websites and/or games of chance,favorite meals, shows, buffets, and the like. The mobile deviceinformation may allow the gaming establishment to determine the userinterests. Knowing the user's interests may allow the gamingestablishment to transmit any marketing, promotions, coupons, and thelike to the mobile electronic device. For example, if a user's interestis playing poker games on the mobile electronic device, the user may benotified of a poker tournament at the gaming establishment. In anotherexample, the user may show an interest in gourmet food. The gamingestablishment may transmit, to the mobile electronic device, a couponfor 50% off at their steak house.

A determination of whether the mobile electronic device is authenticatedmay be made at 406 based on the transmitted mobile device information.Docking station may be configured to authenticate the mobile electronicdevice to play games of chance based upon the received mobile deviceinformation. In one embodiment, using a user interface either on thedocking station and/or on the mobile electronic device, the user may berequested to enter a username, password, account number, player trackinginformation, facial recognition information, voice recognitioninformation, or any other desired user information. In anotherembodiment, the desired user information necessary to authenticate themobile electronic device and/or user may be embedded in the mobileelectronic device such that authentication may be completedautomatically without any user interaction.

To authenticate the mobile electronic device and the user, the receivedmobile device information may be compared to information stored on thegaming system manager. The docking station may be configured tocommunicate with the gaming system manager by any known means such aswired or wirelessly. The gaming system manager may have a playertracking server (e.g. player tracking server 103 illustrated in FIG. 1 )having a player database configured to store all user information,player tracking information, and any other desired player information.If the received mobile electronic information matches the informationstored in the player tracking server, the docking station may determinethat the mobile electronic device is authenticated at 310. If thereceived mobile electronic information does not match the informationstored in the player tracking server, the mobile electronic device isnot authenticated at 310 and the method 400 may end.

In one embodiment, the comparison of the received mobile deviceinformation and the information stored on the player tracking server maybe conducted at the docking station. In this embodiment, the dockingstation may be configured to receive the player tracking informationfrom the gaming system manager. In another embodiment, the comparison ofthe received mobile device information and the information stored on theplayer tracking server may be conducted by the gaming system manager. Inthis embodiment, the docking station may be configured to transmit thereceived mobile device information to the gaming system manager forcomparison. If the information matches, the gaming system manager maytransmit an authentication signal to the docking station and adetermination of whether the mobile electronic device is a trusteddevice may be made at 408. If the information does not match, the gamingsystem manager may transmit a rejection signal to the docking stationand the method 400 may end.

In order to become a trusted device, the mobile electronic device mustbe authenticated and secured. Thus, if the mobile electronic device isdetermined to be authenticated at 406, a determination of whether themobile electronic device is trusted may be made at 408 based on thetransmitted mobile device information. To be configured to play games ofchance, the mobile electronic device must provide for security featuresto prevent cheating, hacking, and/or to comply with any gamingregulations or laws. In one embodiment, the security features may denyaccess to all programs or applications on the mobile electronic deviceexcept the programs or applications necessary to play the game ofchance. If the mobile electronic device contains the desired securityfeatures, based on the received mobile device information, the mobileelectronic device may be considered a trusted device at 408.

If the desired security features are not located on the mobileelectronic device, the device is deemed to not be a trusted device at408, the required security software or applications may be received bythe mobile electronic device at 410. The mobile electronic device maythen be converted to a trusted mobile electronic device . The dockingstation and/or the gaming system manager may determine what securesoftware and/or applications are necessary for the mobile electronicdevice to have to become a trusted device. The secure software may thenbe downloaded to the mobile electronic device. Once the secured softwareand/or applications are downloaded and saved to the mobile electronicdevice, the mobile electronic device may be converted to a trusteddevice and a list of a plurality of games of chance may be received atthe mobile gaming device at 416.

Once selected by the user, a request for a selected game of chance maybe transmitted at 414 to the docking station and/or gaming systemmanager. The game of chance data for the selected game of chance may bereceived at 416. The requested game of chance data may be obtained fromthe gaming server and transmitted to the mobile electronic device. Inanother embodiment, the docking station may determine whether therequested game of chance is stored on the docking station. If thedocking station determines that the requested game of chance is storedon the docking station, the docking station may transmit the requestedgame of chance data to the mobile electronic device.

The game of chance data may be downloaded and stored on the mobileelectronic device. In another embodiment, the game of chance data may bestreamed to the mobile electronic device, either from the dockingstation or the gaming system manager. In this embodiment, user inputused to play the game of chance may be transmitted to the dockingstation or the gaming system manager. User input may be received fromthe mobile electronic device and/or the docking station.

A determination of whether the gaming session should end may be made at418. The gaming session may end for a variety of reasons such as no morecredits to play the game of chance, insufficient account balance, theplayer leaves the vicinity in which the mobile electronic device istrusted, the mobile electronic device is no longer capable of playingthe game of chance, the mobile electronic device is in an area whereplaying games of chance is prohibited, the battery charge of the mobileelectronic device is low, or for any legal reasons.

If it is determined that the gaming session should end at 418, any gameof chance data stored on the mobile electronic device may be deleted.Any game session data as well as security software downloaded on themobile electronic device may also be deleted. If it is determined thatthe gaming session should not end at 418, game of chance data maycontinue to be received at 416.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example docking station. The docking station520520 may have a housing 508, a receiver 514, and a connector 516. Thehousing 508 may be made from any material, such as metal, plastic, andany other desired material. The housing, although illustrated as arectangular shape, may be formed as any desired shape such as acircular, cube, square, cube, triangle, prism, and the like. The housing508 may be formed from any known process such as being molded or anyother known methods.

The receiver 514 may be designed to receive any mobile electronicdevice. The receiver 514 may be designed to be set into or recessed intothe housing 508. In another embodiment, the receiver may extendoutwardly from the housing. In still another embodiment, the receiver514 may be flush with the housing 508 of the docking station 520.

Receiver 514 may include a connector 516 positioned in the center of thereceiver 514 and extending outwardly from the receiver 514. Theconnector 516 may be designed to receive a mobile electronic device andconfigured to detect whether the mobile electronic device is physicallyconnected to the docking station 520. The connector 516 may be designedor configured to allow the mobile electronic device to communicate withthe docking station 520. As illustrated, connector 516 may havedifferent shapes and be different types of connectors to receivedifferent types of mobile electronic devices. Although depicted as aphysical connection, the connector 516 maybe a wireless connectionbetween the docking station and the mobile electronic device. A wirelessconnection is convenient to allow connection between the docking stationand the mobile electronic device without having to find a matchingphysical connector-pair. Wireless communication technology such as WiFi(802.11x), BlueTooth, Near Field Communication, Zigbee, and the like areknown in the art and can be implemented. Additionally, the chargingfunction may also be implemented without a physical connection using awireless charging technology. For example, wireless charging viaelectromagnetic induction utilizes two induction coils, one in thecharging station and one in the portable electronic device, to transferenergy via alternating electromagnetic field.

In one embodiment, the detection may occur when the mobile electronicdevice is physically connected or coupled to the receiver 514. Inanother embodiment, detection may occur when an intermediary connector(not shown) may be used to connect the mobile electronic device to thereceiver 514. The intermediary connector 502 may be a universalconnector to allow all types of mobile electronic devices to communicatewith the docking station, such as, for example, the portableintermediary trusted device discussed in U.S. application Ser. No.13/833,116, filed Mar. 15, 2013, which is incorporated by reference. Themobile electronic device may be any device such as mobile telephones,tablet computers, laptop computers, handheld gaming devices, mediaplayers, and the like.

The intermediary connector may have a plurality of inputs configured toreceive the mobile electronic device or a wire connection to the mobileelectronic device. Each of the plurality of inputs may have a differentconfiguration to receive different mobile electronic devices. Theintermediary connector -may also have an external wire configured to bereceived by a mobile electronic device. This allows connection to thedocking station 520 to be a wired connection. Although depicted as aphysical connection, the intermediary connector maybe replaced with awireless connection between the docking station and the mobileelectronic device. A wireless connection is convenient to allowconnection between the docking station and the mobile electronic devicewithout having to find a matching physical connector-pair. Wirelesscommunication technology such as WiFi (802.11x), BlueTooth, Near FieldCommunication, Zigbee, and the like are known in the art and can beimplemented.

In one embodiment, when the mobile electronic device is connected to thedocking station 520, the docking station may be configured to provide anelectronic charge to the mobile electronic device thereby charging thebattery of the mobile electronic device. Charging maybe implemented as awired connection. Additionally, the charging function may also beimplemented without a physical connection using a wireless chargingtechnology. For example, wireless charging via electromagnetic inductionutilizes two induction coils, one in the charging station and one in theportable electronic device, to transfer energy via alternatingelectromagnetic field.

Once connected to or in communication with the docking station, any datamay be transferred from the mobile electronic device to the dockingstation and vice versa using connector 516. In one example, the dockingstation 520 may detect whether the mobile electronic device is receivedby receiver 514 upon the initial transfer of information from the mobileelectronic device to the docking station. Mobile device information maybe any information necessary to determine whether the mobile device hasthe capability to play games of chance, authenticate the mobileelectronic device, validate or authenticate the user of the mobileelectronic device, or any other desired information may be transmittedto the docking station. For example, mobile device information mayinclude the mobile electronic device capabilities such as powercapacity, display resolution, memory capacity, processor capacity, diskspace, software versions, and the like. Mobile device information mayalso include identification information such as model information, userinformation, user preferences, game history, bookmarks for specificgames of chance, favorite websites and/or games of chance, favoritemeals, shows, buffets, and the like. The mobile device information mayallow the gaming establishment to determine the user interests. Knowingthe user's interests may allow the gaming establishment to transmit anymarketing, promotions, coupons, and the like to the mobile electronicdevice. For example, if a user's interest is playing poker games on themobile electronic device, the user may be notified of a poker tournamentat the gaming establishment. In another example, the user may show aninterest in gourmet food. The gaming establishment may transmit, to themobile electronic device, a coupon for 50% off at their steak house.

In another example, game session data may be periodically transferredfrom the mobile electronic device to the docking station and game ofchance data may be transmitted from the docking station to the mobileelectronic device as the player plays the game of chance. Game sessiondata may be used in case of a power failure by the docking station ormobile electronic device, malfunction of the docking station or mobileelectronic device, or any other reasons. The game session data may beused recreate the gaming sessions to determine if the player won orlost, the amount of credits remaining, if the player was cheating, orany other game session information. Game session data and/or game ofchance data may be transmitted at any desired time. For example, gamesession data and/or game of chance data may be transmitted every thirtyseconds, every minute, every fifteen minutes, every hour, or atdesignated time intervals such as between 1 pm-3 pm, and the like. Gamesession data may include any data produced during the game play such asgame state data, game history data, account data, coins in and out,credits obtained or used, bonuses received, and any other game data.Game state data may show a position in a game, game progress, a currentaccount balance, active bets placed, pending game outcomes, and thelike. The game history data may include games of chance played, wagersmade, past account balances, game progress, outcomes of games of chance,and the like. In one embodiment, game session data may be stored at thedocking station. In another embodiment, the game session data may bereceived by the docking station and transmitted to the gaming systemmanager. In still another embodiment, the game session data may bedirectly received by the gaming system manager from the mobileelectronic device.

Also feasible is a wireless connection for communication as well as forcharging. Docking station may also have a variety of inputs, outputs,controls, peripherals, and other external devices. For example, dockingstation may have a plurality of user controls speaker, camera, printer,microphone, card reader, and display.

The plurality of user controls 610 may be used to transmit an inputand/or output to the mobile electronic device and/or to the dockingstation. The plurality of user controls may be any type of user controlssuch as a keypad, keyboard, button panel, buttons, joystick, and anyother user controls able to provide input and/or output. For example,the user controls may be used to input username, account number, requestfor drinks, request restaurant reservation, request a fund transfer, andany other requests and/or data. The user controls 610 may also be usedto play the game of chance.

The speaker may be used to provide audio such as music, audioinstructions, and any other audio sounds such as bells, whistles, andthe like. For example, if the player wins a bonus play, the speaker mayoutput a distinctive sound that alerts the player a bonus game is aboutto begin.

Microphone 618 may be configured to receive audio sounds from the user.For example, in lieu of using the plurality of user controls, the usermay use the microphone to verbally input requests and data, such asusername, account number, request for drinks, request restaurantreservation, request a fund transfer, and any other requests and/ordata. In another example, microphone may be configured to recognize thevoice of the player using voice recognition information previouslyprovided by the player.

Camera may be used to detect images, such as the user's image toauthenticate the user. For example, camera may be configured to conductfacial recognition to authenticate the player in order to convert themobile electronic device to a trusted device. In another example, cameramay also be used by the gaming establishment to communicate with theuser and/or allow the user to play the games of chance. In anotherexample, camera may be configured to recognize gestures.

For example, if the player is playing blackjack, the player may usegestures to “Hit” or “Stand”. In another example, the player may usegestures to request a fund amount. Thus, camera may be used for anygaming or non-gaming purposes.

Printer may be configured to print any information or data. For example,printer may be used to print vouchers, coupons, receipts, documents, andthe like. As stated above with reference to FIG. 1 , mobile deviceinformation may also include identification information such as modelinformation, user information, user preferences, game history, bookmarksfor specific games of chance, favorite web sites and/or games of chance,favorite meals, shows, buffets, and the like. The mobile deviceinformation may allow the gaming establishment to determine the userinterests. Knowing the user's interests may allow the gamingestablishment to transmit any marketing, promotions, coupons, and thelike to the mobile electronic device. For example, if a user's interestis playing poker games on the mobile electronic device, the user may benotified of a poker tournament at the gaming establishment by printingout a flyer notifying the player of the poker tournament. In anotherexample, the user may show an interest in gourmet food. The gamingestablishment may transmit, to the docking station, a coupon for 50% offat their steak house that may be printed using printer 616.

Card reader may be configured to read data from a storage medium, suchas a credit card, player tracking card, and the like. Card reader may beused to access to a player tracking account, transfer funds from acredit card or banking card, transfer user information, or any otherdesired requests, uses, and the like. In another example, card readermay be used to read data from a card to authenticate and/or validate themobile electronic device.

Display may be any type of known display such as a liquid crystaldisplay, touch screen, and the like. Display may be used for any knownpurposes such as displaying or presenting gaming establishmentinformation(e.g., list of games of chance that may be played on themobile electronic device, tournament information, movie times, and thelike) to the player, display funds in the player tracking account,display remaining credits to play the game of chance. In anotherexample, display may be used as a touch screen to input userinformation, such as username, password, play games of chance, and anyother information. Display may be used to present or display any othergaming or non-gaming information.

In use, a player may select to play a game of chance using a variety ofmethods. For example, the player may select a game of chance using thetouch-screen display, one of the plurality of user inputs, both thedisplay and at least one of the plurality of user inputs, verballyrequesting the game of chance using the microphone, gesture recognitionusing the camera.

As discussed in detail above, the game of chance may be downloaded orstreamed to the mobile electronic device. Either way, the user may playthe game of chance using a variety of devices or peripherals on thedocking station0. For example, the user may play the game of chanceusing controls on the mobile electronic device. In another example, theuser may play the game of chance using the plurality of user controls,display, microphone, gesture recognition on camera, a combination ofperipherals, or any other method.

After playing the game of chance, the user may want to cash out anyremaining credits. The user may transmit a request to cash out using theuser controls, display, microphone, camera, card reader, a combinationof peripherals, or any other input methods to transmit the request tocash out. In one example, when the docking station receives the requestto cash out, a credit voucher may be printed using printer. In anotherexample, the player may verbally request to cash out using microphoneand that the remaining balance be transferred to a credit card usingcard reader. In yet another example, user may request to cash out usingdisplay.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example docking station.Docking station 800 may have a processor 802, memory 828, and aplurality of peripherals. Although only a few of the peripherals will bediscussed herein, it will now be known that the docking station may haveand use a variety of peripherals as described herein or desired by theuser. For example, processor 802 may be configured to determine whetherthe games of chance can be played on the mobile electronic device basedon received device information. In another example, processor 802 may beconfigured to transmit game session data, accounting data, mobile deviceinformation, and the like to the gaming system manager and/or the mobileelectronic device. In yet another example, processor may be configuredto delete all gaming session data, game of chance data, and any otherdesired data, application, and information from the mobile electronicdevice. Processor 802 may be configured to communicate with the dockingstation 800 peripherals, mobile electronic device, gaming server, andother servers in order to carry out the necessary desired functions. Forexample, processor 802 may receive a game of chance request from themobile electronic device. In turn, processor 802, may transmit the gameof chance request to the gaming system manager (e.g. gaming systemmanager 104 illustrated in FIG. 1 ) via the network interface 804.

Docking station 800 may detect a mobile electronic device. In oneembodiment, the docking station 800 may detect the mobile electronicdevice when physically connected to the receiver 808 of the dockingstation 800. Receiver 808 may be designed to receive any mobileelectronic device and may have a connector (e.g. connector 506illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B) designed to receive a mobile electronicdevice and configured to detect whether the mobile electronic device isphysically connected to the docking station 800.

In another embodiment, the mobile electronic device may be detected whenan intermediary connector (e.g. a portable intermediary trusted device)is connected to receiver 808. In still another embodiment, mobileelectronic device may communicate wireless with docking station 800 viawireless interface 801 using any known wireless technology such as suchas a 3G wireless technology, 4G wireless technology, Bluetooth, WirelessUSB, Near-field magnetic, Fire Wire, WiMax, IEEE 802.11x technology,radio frequency, and the like.

Once detected, mobile device information may be obtained from the mobileelectronic device. Mobile device information may be any informationnecessary to determine whether the mobile device has the capability toplay games of chance, authenticate the mobile electronic device,validate or authenticate the user of the mobile electronic device, orany other desired information may be transmitted to the docking station.For example, mobile device information may include the mobile electronicdevice capabilities such as power capacity, display resolution, memorycapacity, processor capacity, disk space, software versions, and thelike. Mobile device information may also include identificationinformation such as model information, user information, userpreferences, game history, bookmarks for specific games of chance,favorite websites and/or games of chance, favorite meals, shows,buffets, and the like. The mobile device information may allow thegaming establishment to determine the user interests. Knowing the user'sinterests may allow the gaming establishment to transmit any marketing,promotions, coupons, and the like to the mobile electronic device. Forexample, if a user's interest is playing poker games on the mobileelectronic device, the user may be notified of a poker tournament at thegaming establishment. In another example, the user may show an interestin gourmet food. The gaming establishment may transmit, to the mobileelectronic device, a coupon for 50% off at their steak house.

Mobile device information may be stored in memory 828. Memory 828 may beconfigured to store any type of data such as, game of chance data,secure software, applications, game session data, and any other desireddata or information. Memory 828 may be any type of memory includingrandom access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), non-volatile randomaccess memory (NVRAM), disk memory, magnetic tapes, paper tapes , laserstorage and the like. Independently, random access memory requires powerin order to maintain stored data. Battery backed RAM may store variableif the power goes down. ROM cannot be adjusted once written but does notrequire power in order to store information. NVRAM does not requirepower in order to maintain variables and can be written to. Disk memoryand tape memory may be a bit slower but can store variables withoutpower. ROM may be useful for storing games of chance on the dockingstation. RAM and NVRAM may also be useful for storing games on thedocking station, especially if the docking station only temporarilystores games during a particular gaming session.

Docking station 800 may have a variety of peripherals such as usercontrols 801, card reader 814, microphone 822, camera 824, and display826. User controls 801 may be used to transmit an input and/or output tothe mobile electronic device and/or to the docking station. Usercontrols 801 may be any type of user controls such as a keypad,keyboard, button panel, buttons, joystick, and any other user controlsable to provide input and/or output. For example, user controls 801 maybe used to input username, account number, request for drinks, requestrestaurant reservation, request a fund transfer, and any other requestsand/or data. The user controls 801 may also be used to play the game ofchance.

Microphone 822 may be configured to receive audio sounds from the user.For example, in lieu of using user controls 801, the user may use themicrophone 822 to verbally input requests and data, such as username,account number, request for drinks, request restaurant reservation,request a fund transfer, and any other requests and/or data. In anotherexample, microphone 822 may be configured to recognize the voice of theplayer using voice recognition information previously provided by theplayer.

Camera 824 may be used to detect images, such as the user's image toauthenticate the user. For example, camera 824 may be configured toconduct facial recognition to authenticate the player in order toconvert the mobile electronic device to a trusted device. In anotherexample, camera 824 may also be used by the gaming establishment tocommunicate with the user and/or allow the user to play the games ofchance. In another example, camera 824 may be configured to recognizegestures. For example, if the player is playing blackjack, the playermay use gestures to “Hit” or “Stand”. In another example, the player mayuse gestures to request a fund amount. Thus, camera 824 may be used forany gaming or non-gaming purposes.

Printer 816 may be configured to print any information or data. Forexample, printer 816 may be used to print vouchers, coupons, receipts,documents, and the like. As stated above with reference to FIG. 1 ,mobile device information may also include identification informationsuch as model information, user information, user preferences, gamehistory, bookmarks for specific games of chance, favorite websitesand/or games of chance, favorite meals, shows, buffets, and the like.The mobile device information may allow the gaming establishment todetermine the user interests. Knowing the user's interests may allow thegaming establishment to transmit any marketing, promotions, coupons, andthe like to the mobile electronic device. For example, if a user'sinterest is playing poker games on the mobile electronic device, theuser may be notified of a poker tournament at the gaming establishmentby printing out a flyer notifying the player of the poker tournament. Inanother example, the user may show an interest in gourmet food. Thegaming establishment may transmit, to the docking station, a coupon for50% off at their steak house that may be printed using printer 816.

Card reader 814 may be configured to read data from a storage medium,such as a credit card, player tracking card, and the like. Card reader814 may be used to access to a player tracking account, transfer fundsfrom a credit card or banking card, transfer user information, or anyother desired requests, uses, and the like. In another example, cardreader 814 may be used to read data from a card to authenticate and/orvalidate the mobile electronic device.

Display 826 may be any type of known display such as a liquid crystaldisplay, touch screen, and the like. Display 826 may be used for anyknown purposes such as displaying or presenting gaming establishmentinformation (e.g., list of games of chance that may be played on themobile electronic device, tournament information, movie times, and thelike) to the player, display funds in the player tracking account,display remaining credits to play the game of chance. In anotherexample, display 826 may be used as a touch screen to input userinformation, such as username, password, play games of chance, and anyother information. Display 826 may be used to present or display anyother gaming or non-gaming information.

Docking station 800 may also have a notification device 812.Notification device 812 may be a light, light rope, light pipe, candle(e.g. candle 1210 illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B), multicolor LED's, aspeaker which makes noise, and any other notification device to notifyservice personnel that a service request is desired by the player. Inanother example, notification device 812 may notify service personnel ofthe gaming establishment that the docking station has a failure ormalfunction. In another example, if a player would like to ordered adrink, a yellow light can flash to notify a waitress. In anotherexample, a red light can flash to indicate a malfunction.

Docking station 800 may also have a scanner 818. Scanner may be used toscan documents, bar codes, and the like. For example, the scanner may beused by the player to scan a voucher printed from another gamingmachine. The credits remaining on the voucher may then be used to playthe games of chance. In another example, the player may scan a voucherto participate in a poker tournament without having to be at the exactlocation of where the poker tournament is being played.

Docking station 800 may also have a motion tracking device 820. Themotion tracking device 820 may be used to play the games of chance. Themotion tracking device 820 may be any device configured to determine theorientation, produce motion, and the like on the docking station 800and/or the mobile electronic device. For example, the motion trackingdevice 820 may be a gyroscope to determine orientation, a laser, haptictransducers, and/or an accelerometer to determine acceleration magnitudeand vectors. For example, if playing a car racing simulation game ofchance, the docking station 800 may be tilted to the right in order toturn the car to the right. When the docking station 800 is turned to theright, the motion tracking device 820 may determine the orientation andturn the car in the simulation game of chance to the right. If the carcrashes, haptic transducers in the docking station 800 may cause thedocking station to vibrate in response to the crash.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate an example authorization of a mobile electronicdevice to play a game of chance. The mobile electronic device 902 may beinserted into the receiver 906 of the docking station 904. The receiver906 may have a connector (e.g. connector 516 illustrated in FIG. 5 )configured to connect the mobile electronic device to the dockingstation. The connector may be designed to receive the mobile electronicdevice and configured to detect whether the mobile electronic device isphysically connected to the docking station. The connector may bedesigned or configured to allow the mobile electronic device tocommunicate with the docking station. As previously discussed in FIG. 5, the connection maybe implemented as a wired or a wireless connection.

Referring to FIG. 7A, once the mobile electronic device 902 isphysically connected to the docking station 904, the docking station 904may detect the mobile electronic device. The mobile electronic devicemay have a display 918 displaying a battery life indicator 914. Asillustrated, the battery life indicator 914 may indicate that the mobileelectronic device 902 is not fully charged. If not fully charged, thedocking station 904 may transmit a charge to the battery of the mobileelectronic device 902 to recharge the battery of the mobile electronicdevice. In one embodiment, the mobile electronic device may indicatethat it is being charged with a message displayed on display 918. Forexample, “Charging” 912 may be displayed on display 918.

Docking station may transmit an authentication request to the mobileelectronic device to authenticate the mobile electronic device 902and/or the user. In one embodiment, a request for a user identification920 and password 922 may be displayed on display 918. The player maythen enter the button 924 on the display 902 to gain authorization.

Referring now to FIG. 7B, after a period of time being physicallyconnected to the gaming, the battery life indicator 914 indicates thatthe battery is being recharged. If the mobile electronic device isauthenticated an authentication notification may be transmitted to themobile gaming device 902 and presented on display 912. For example, FIG.8B may display a “Welcome To Our Gaming Network!!!” 932 message ondisplay 918. This indicates that the mobile gaming device 902 and/oruser is authenticated.

FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate an example use of a docking station. FIG. 8Aillustrates the mobile electronic device 1002 docked in the dockingstation 1004 while playing a game of chance presented on display 1018.The display 1018 may present a plurality of user interface controls1006. The user interface controls 1006 may be any type of displayed usercontrols used to play the game of chance such as to select a wageramount, spin, cash out, and the like. The amount of credits remaining1022 may also be presented on display 1018.

In one embodiment, docking station 1004 may have a joystick 1010. Thejoystick may also be used to play the game of chance 1009. Asillustrated, joystick 1010 may be used to spin the reels 1008 of thegame of chance presented on display 1018. The joystick may be in a firstposition indicating that no action has been taken. Referring to FIG. 8B,the player may move the joystick 1010 to a second position indicatingthat the player would like to spin the reel 1008 using the joystick 1010and not the user interface controls 1006.

FIGS. 9A-9B illustrate another example use of a document station. If theuser would like to end the game session, the user may want to cash outhis remaining credits. FIG. 9A illustrates the mobile electronic device1102 connected to docking station 1104. In one embodiment, the playermay use user interface controls (e.g. user interface controls 1006illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B) to cash out. In another embodiment, theplayer may use user controls 1103 (e.g., user controls 610 illustratedin FIG. 6 ) to cash out.

Once a request to cash out is transmitted to the docking station 1104,the player may be questioned to determine whether the player would liketo print a voucher for the remaining credit. For example, a message“Would You Like To Cash Out And Print A Voucher?” 1106 may be displayedon display 1118. A “No” indicator 1108 and a “Yes” indicator 1110 may besimultaneously displayed on display 1118. Although the inquiry isillustrated as being presented on the display 1118 of the mobileelectronic device 1102, this is not intended to be limiting as theinquiry may also be presented on a display of the docking station 1104(e.g. display 622 illustrated in FIG. 6 ).

Referring now to FIG. 9B, if the player would like a voucher printed outfor the remaining credit balance, printer 1112 may print the voucher1124. Once the voucher is printed, display 1118 may present a completionnotification 1122 such as, for example, “THANKS FOR PLAYING! Please ComeBack Soon”.

FIGS. 10A-10B illustrate still another example use of a docking station.Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B, while the player is playing the game ofchance 1208, waiting for the mobile electronic device 1202 to charge, orfor any other reason, player may want to order a drink, food, or anyother type of service. Thus, the docking station 1204 may be used tomake service calls. The user may use either the user interface controls1206 displayed on display 1218 or the user controls 1212 on the dockingstation 1204 to indicate he would like to make a service request. Therequest for service may be transmitted to the docking station 1204 and acandle 1210 on the docking station may be illuminated (as illustrated inFIG. 10B) to alert the customer service personnel that the player wouldlike to make a service request.

FIGS. 11A-11D Illustrate yet another example use of the docking station.Some players may desire to work while playing games of chance forentertainment, such as while on vacation. The docking station mayprovide the flexibility for business people to work while on vacation(or not on vacation) and may also be used as a work station. Asillustrated in FIG. 11A, if the mobile electronic device 1302 is able toreceive electronic mail (e-mail), display 1318 may indicate that theplayer has a new email message 1306.

Referring now to FIG. 11B, the e-mail message may be displayed 1322 ondisplay 1318. The email message may contain a document 1324 that theplayer may need to print out to review. As illustrated in FIG. 11C, theuser may be provided the option 1334 to print the document using thedocking station 1304. In one embodiment, the user may be charged perpage for each page printed out and may use the docking station to payfor the printouts. In another embodiment, the user is not charged forthe printout. If the user would like to print the document using thedocking station, as illustrated in FIG. 11D, the document 1344 may beprinted using printer 1312. Upon completion of the printing, display1318 may display a completion notification 1342, for example, a“Printing Complete!” message.

While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown anddescribed, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art having thebenefit of this disclosure that many more modifications than mentionedabove are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A gaming system for use in a gamingestablishment, the gaming system comprising: a gaming manager operableto store and manage a player account; a mobile device operable toinitiate a game; and a controller coupled to the gaming manager andhaving a processor and memory storing a plurality of instructions, whenexecuted, cause the processor to at least: detect when the mobile deviceis coupled to the controller, receive the player account associated withthe mobile device from the gaming manager when the mobile device iscoupled to the controller, determine whether the mobile device is ableto participate in the game and whether the mobile device is a trustedgaming device, based on the player account received from the gamingmanager, and authorize one or more transfer funds into or out of theplayer account and the mobile device to be able to participate in thegame, when the mobile device remains the trusted gaming device withinthe gaming establishment.
 2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein thecontroller further comprises a receiver operable to couple thecontroller to the mobile device over one of a wired and a wirelessnetwork.
 3. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising theinstructions, when executed, causing the processor to transmit anauthentication request to the mobile device to authenticate the mobiledevice, and wherein the authentication request comprises a request for auser identification and password.
 4. The gaming system of claim 1,further comprising a player tracking server operable to communicate withthe gaming manager.
 5. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprisingthe instructions, when executed, causing the processor to create agaming session for the mobile device when the mobile device is toparticipate in the game.
 6. The gaming system of claim 1, furthercomprising the instructions, when executed, causing the processor todetermine whether the mobile device is able to participate in the gameand whether the mobile device is the trusted gaming device at the gamingmanager.
 7. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising theinstructions, when executed, causing the mobile device to display anauthentication notification when the mobile device is deemed the trustedgaming device within the gaming establishment.
 8. A method ofauthorizing a mobile device in a gaming establishment having a gamingmanager operable to store and manage a player account, and a controllercoupled to the gaming manager and having a processor and memory storinga plurality of instructions, when executed, cause the processor toinitiate a game or service, the method comprising: determining if themobile device is coupled to the controller over one of a wired and awireless network; receiving information of the mobile device when themobile device is coupled to the controller; comparing by the processorthe player account associated with the mobile device received from thegaming manager with the information received from the mobile device; andauthorizing one or more transfer funds into or out of the player accountand the mobile device to be able to participate in the game, when themobile device remains a trusted gaming device within the gamingestablishment determined from the player account received from thegaming manager.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprisingtransmitting an authentication request to the mobile device toauthenticate the mobile device, and wherein the authentication requestcomprises a request for a user identification and password.
 10. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising transmitting the player accountassociated with the mobile device from a player tracking server to thegaming manager.
 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising generatinga gaming session for the mobile device when the mobile device is toparticipate in the game.
 12. The method of claim 8, further comprisingdetermining whether the mobile device is able to participate in the gameand whether the mobile device is the trusted gaming device at the gamingmanager.
 13. The method of claim 8, further comprising causing themobile device to display an authentication notification when the mobiledevice is deemed the trusted gaming device within the gamingestablishment.
 14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprisinga plurality of instructions for authorizing a mobile device to initiatea game or service in a gaming establishment having a gaming manageroperable to store and manage a player account, and a controller coupledto the gaming manager and having a processor, the instructions, which,when executed, cause one or more processors to perform the steps of:detecting when the mobile device is coupled to the controller; receivingthe player account associated with the mobile device from the gamingmanager when the mobile device is coupled to the controller; identifyingwhether the mobile device is able to participate in the game and whetherthe mobile device is a trusted gaming device, based on the playeraccount received from the gaming manager and information received fromthe mobile device; and authorizing one or more transfer funds into orout of the player account and the mobile device to be able toparticipate in the game, when the mobile device remains the trustedgaming device within the gaming establishment.
 15. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the controller is coupledto the mobile device over one of a wired and a wireless network.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprisingthe instructions, when executed, causing the processor to perform thestep of transmitting an authentication request to the mobile device toauthenticate the mobile device, and wherein the authentication requestcomprises a request for a user identification and password.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprisinga player tracking server operable to communicate with the gamingmanager.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14,further comprising the instructions, when executed, causing theprocessor to perform the step of generating a gaming session for themobile device when the mobile device is to participate in the game. 19.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, furthercomprising the instructions, when executed, causing the processor toperform the step of determining whether the mobile device is able toparticipate in the game and whether the mobile device is the trustedgaming device at the gaming manager.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising theinstructions, when executed, causing the mobile device to perform thestep of displaying an authentication notification when the mobile deviceis deemed the trusted gaming device within the gaming establishment.